@n64gbachick:  Hi Don has a urinary ostomy from a surgery about 55 years ago.  The other pouches we tried just did not fit him right as he also has scoliosis which causes the bottom part of his stomach to bulge.  That interfered with the bulk of the bags we tried and others would not seal tight or scratched him. The Cymed bags still win.  The owner is now talking with him to determine if something changed with the adhesives. He claims the bags are the same size but we measured them and they are not.  Our thought was maybe the smaller bag fills up more quickly (as urinary patients must drink lots of water) and it puts too much pressure on the bag when he bends over or sleeps.  In the first call Don forgot to ask if they have different sizes and maybe our supplier sent a different size.  They will speak again today comparing the box numbers we have.  We are very happy to see that they were so responsive & kind when we reached out. A much different approach then the last time we contacted Cymed.

The owner is working with Don to see what may have changed. They are being very responsive and we hope to have a happy resolutiont.

@mermaidspla2 glad they are working with you. I was impressed when i spoke with Lou (the new customer service/ quality control guy) that they genuinely seem interested in user feedback. Hope things go well for you and Don!

@mermaidspla2 Thanks for the reply; always appreciate hearing about other people's product experiences and own challenges.

Cymed is definitely the most flexible on the market though so that makes sense if your husband has an especially challenging abodomen. Glad they are continuing to work with you; sounds like there may be miscommunication between the owner and the manufacturing department over exactly how the system is being made.

Hello All,

Are you still having issues with Cymed pouches and the changes they have made to their products?

I have worn this brand for many many years and it's so frustrating when they make changes to their products.  I feel like crying because this is now going on my 6th box of pouches that don't work the way they used to.  The wafer part of the pouch seems to get really puffy and expands to like four times its size and deteriorates very quickly causing leaks.  I am only getting one day of wear and it is causing my skin to be very irritated with all the leaks and pouch changes.  I am so frustrated with the Cymed company.  

I have no faith in their products anymore since they have randomly changed their products several times in the years past. And now, yet again, more changes.  I am a yoga and dance teacher at a middle/high school and I need a dependable product.  

In the past when Cymed made unfavorable changes to their products, I tried many other brands of ileostomy products and discovered that my skin is sensitive to the wafer materials used in the other common ostomy pouches.  I would get skin rashes from the other brands.  It seems that Cymed pectin based products work for me - when they haven't messed with a tried and true formulation (like they are currently doing).  I even tried other products that say they are pectin based, like the Eakin seals, and it still caused my skin to get a rash.

Please please please Cymed go back to your original recipe for your washer/seals in the pouches.  The changes you have made are ruining my life.  I had a leak during 6th grade dance class today.  It was embarrassing and caused me much emotional grief.

Also, have you noticed that the bags are much thicker and the plastic is extra crinkly?  I don't like these changes either.  The plastic used to be the right thickness, now it is just too thick and bulky.  And teaching dance and yoga with an extra crinkly pouch sure does have the kids wonder what's up with their teacher.  So not fun!!

Thank you all for reading this and allowing me a space to vent.  I am sorry for sounding so grouchy.  I am usually a very cheery person.  I am just so frustrated.  Again, thank you for your support.

Take care.

@sunstarmom I use Hollister pouches and they have become very noisy, also. It is embarrassing; I really hate the crinkly noise whenever I move. Other than that I have been happy enough. Considered trying another brand but now that I read your post about Cymed I don’t think I will. 

I have been told that the reason for the change in the plastic pouch is because of the environment. I don’t feel like I am doing something noble for the earth; I feel like I am being punished for having an ostomy.

@sunstarmom oh my gosh! Im so sorry! i am right there with you and have started having so many different problems! I received my last order of 6 boxes and every single one of those boxes leak. I only tried 3 boxes and only few out of each box, when I decided to look at the batch numbers. . . They were all the same. This has been a hit and miss constant for at least the last year. I haven’t gotten on and posted and I apologize for that. I haven’t wanted to switch products because as you know it just seems so overwhelming to start over. Yes, I’ve received samples from other companies but only a few bags and wafers isn’t long enough to get me confident with another company. 

THIS IS GETTING SO OLD. I just don’t want to start over. 

@sunstarmom

 Hi and Welcome, it’s a big deal to an ostomate when a product is changed or removed. By thoughts/advice would be to look through the product reviews here and order samples. You never know that new appliance and confidence boost may be a click away 👍

@momof3boys yes, I absolutely understand and feel the same way - it is overwhelming to think about starting over with products, there is really no way to tell if they are going to work with just a couple of samples - and adding to that the complicated prescription /ordering system with my clinic, supplier and insurance company. I am so sorry you are getting leaks; another reason I have for not switching products is my concern about that. I have been telling myself “well, the Hollister pouches are noisy, which is annoying and embarrassing when I move but at least they are not leaking” but that is getting a little old.

My best wishes to you both sunstarmom and momof3boys, and I think it is so wonderful that you are teachers.

@john68. Thank you for your reply.  I will try ordering some samples of other products, but that in itself is stressful because I don't know how the product will perform.  It's very inconvenient for me being a teacher to have a leak at work because I can't just leave the classroom to go to the bathroom and change my appliance, so I spend the whole day worrying about an appliance leak.  

I have had my ileostomy since 2000, the month after I got married.  I have tried many many brands of pouches.  For my skin to be healthy and for great wear-time, Cymed WAS my go-to brand.  I LOVED it!  All the other brands, and I mean ALL of them, made my skin get a rash- an allergic reaction rash to the materials in their wafers.  So, with Cymed's complete disregard for patient security they went and made more changes to their products, leaving me floundering around trying to find something that I am not allergic to and that can withstand the poses I do when I teach yoga and the movements in dance.

Thank you for your suggestion that I try other brands to find my confidence again.  I will go through the painstaking trial and error again to see if I am still allergic to Hollister, Convatec, Coloplast, etc...  Maybe they have made changes to the recipe for their wafers since the last time I tried them.  If so, I might be in luck.  But in the past these other brands made my skin a great big excoriated, raw, red mess.  Unfortunately, Cymed is the only pouch I have found to not cause an allergic reaction to my skin.

I am just so bummed that they made yet more changes to their products.  

Thank you for your support and reply.

@llholiday Thank you so much for your reply.  I'm so glad the Hollister brand works for your skin.  How many days can you go before you need to change your pouch?  I'm sorry the plastic on their products is so crinkly.  That is really annoying.  

Thanks again for your support and comments.  It is nice to have someone there to listen to me.  I really appreciate it.

Have a wonderful day.

@momof3boys. YES, I totally get it!  We don't want to have to start all over when we already had found the perfect product for our bodies.  UGH, why did Cymed have to change their products again.

You know, I went and checked my lot numbers too, and they are all made around the same time.  Have you placed a call into Cymed quality control yet?

I am still waiting for someone at Cymed quality control to call me back.  I will try again and leave another message if no-one answers.

Please let me know if you take the plunge and try other products and how they work for you.

Thank you so much for replying.  I appreciate having someone to bounce this frustration off of.  I am so sorry you are going through the same thing right now.

Let's keep in touch about how it goes for us.

@sunstarmom

Just wanted to add my support to everyone else here. Since it's been so long since I had my ileostomy, I can't really offer any specific product suggestions and I know very little about the ones I was using. I hope you are able to find something else that works for you. It's extremely frustrating when you have something critical like that and no one seems to understand. That's what made me think I wanted to work in some kind of customer service. I tried it and found that it's definitely not for me at all! It was really frustrating when there was absolutely nothing I could do to help the person on the other end of the phone, even if I wanted to.

I 1000% understand about being in  school and having everyone else wonder what is going on. I had my ileostomy as a child, but was completely dependent on others for its care. That meant that in my earliest years of school my teachers had to empty my pouch for me which was really humiliating, and I dreaded that every day. It was also embarrassing when other kids would notice it and start asking questions. So it's interesting to hear about a teacher having a similar emotional reaction as I did.

On a side note, cool that you teach dance and yoga. I'm currently trialing Apple's new fitness service with my Apple Watch, and they have a bunch of dance and yoga workouts that seem kind of interesting. However, being visually impaired I can't follow the workouts since I can't see what the trainers are doing and they don't really explain much; although that would be difficult to do. Never mind that I don't know the first thing about yoga, so I may not like it. It would be fun to give it a shot, though.

Best of luck,

Brian

@sunstarmom -- I feel you! I also have an illeostomy (since 2004), and had such terrible skin problems. Cymed’s microskin worked really well for me... until "The Change." I was not a Hollister fan at all, but it ended up that their CeraPlus (#8901) together with Marlen's MaxSeal barrier rings (which i do a whole elaborate flattening thing on so the combined height of that and the pouch's barrier isn't too high for my stoma) has done really well for my skin. I have to change every third day, which has always been the case for me, even with Cymed. I also use SensiCare skin barrier wipes to prep my skin. And i use a hair dryer to warm up the wafer on the pouch before applying -- which turned out to make a huge difference in the seal holding well for my 3 days.

I’m sorry that you are having trouble hearing back from Cymed’s Quality Control. I had reached out to them in September 2020, after seeing the new website and change of ownership. I did find their new person at that time to be very responsive. Not sure if this is the person you contacted?

Louis ("Lou") Verhoeven
QC/ Customer Service/ National Account Manager
Phone: (800) 582-0707 Ext. 5
1451 Sarasota Center Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34240
louis.verhoeven@cymed.us
www.cymed.us

He sent me a bunch of whatever the latest version of their 78400V and 81400V pouches was at the time. (I posted a detailed review in this forum 11/14/20, in case it’s helpful to you.) They were better than the worst ones, but still nowhere near what they were before the change, and i ended up staying with the CeraPlus. I found the original version of what Cymed carried as their 78400V still available from the German company For Life (the original manufacturer), but they are no longer distributed in the US. Not sure which Cymed pouch was your go-to, since it seems they carried products from several different companies (For Life, Salts, etc) not otherwise available in the US.

Anyway, wishing you — and all of us — healthy skin, no leaks, and a bag that works!

@sunstarmom. I generally go three days on a pouch/flange/ring, have gone four but for me that feels a little risky because of the ring deteriorating/melting.  I shower with the whole works on (except for changing days); if the adhesive on the flange gets a little loose I use cloth tape to reinforce the edges, after it is all dry.

@sunstarmom...Welcome to VO!  This is a hot topic here!  Embarrassingly noisey pouches, some  odour sepage, much  earlier leaks & yes I too recently realized the wafer, a slightly different colour swells sooner & allows for leaks but I've also noticed large cracks from the center to outside edges as well.  I'm not sure how using more M9 & changing every 2 or 3 days verses 6 to 8 is beneficial to our environment at all.   We've been told by Hollister, my provider, that the changes in plastic are due to too much Chlorine in the old plastics. Perhaps its a Gov't  order?????... for environmental purposes but it sure does suck!!  They replaced pouches & M9 I used to avoid odour & because they don't do the Osto EZ Vents, the cost was made up with M9 instead. I was very pleased with that service.  I'm so not impressed at all & the embasement puts me back to not wanting to be in public. I worked very hard to overcome that issue when I first joined here.

I'm going to suggest a few things....when trying new product apply it to the other side of your tummy 1st. hopefully avoiding an irritation where you don't need it.  Perhaps cut smaller pieces to avoid a larger possible reaction.  Remove the plastic pouch to avoid double noise.  

Have you tried the Coloplast C-shaped strips? I use them & it helps avoid getting leaks on my clothing.  There's 2 sizes & they will send you samples.  If 2 or 3 samples are not enough, tell them you need to be extra sure & that for allergy reasons you tried it on the opposite side 1st & because of no reaction your willing to try it with your stoma now.  I've got super sensitive skin & eczema & I get heat rash,  so I too understand.  Tell them what you do for a living & the importance of it to you.  I've often asked for 4 to 6 samples & they have always allowed for that.  Sometimes I think the powers that be don't realize we are an active people with lives & don't just sit on our stomas doing nothing between  changes.

***Coloplast Elastic Tape Barrier Strips.  Size Small, C-shaped, ref.# 12070, 2 per wafer  Extra Large, C-shaped, ref.# 12076,  3 per wafer. Packs supply 10 vents & 10 pouches.  I love the stretch of them

Phone number.... Coloplast 1-888-880-8605

Hollister...1-800-263-7400

In case of gas ballooning your pouch...I use the Osto EZ Vents...we apply them ourselves. The vented pouches clog very quickly.  Eric has a video on them . I order my M9 and Osto EZ Vents through....PAYLESS...1-866-533-0772.

Payless number is Canadian only I think,  but they are also USA. Not sure if overseas.   I got my order within 24 hours to my door.  I'm not sure if that's the same number for the USA, but a quick call will tell you. If you use the EZ Vents (bags of 10, & 8 oz. M9)we have tips for applying that are far less time consuming then provided instructions. So holler if you need a hand with that.  I purchased 2 of each & saved at least 80 plus dollars thru Payless verses my Pharmacy for both products!!!  Ugh!!!  Delivery was free over a certain dollar order. 

I hope this is helpful!! 

Linda

@dlkfiretruck

I concur with Linda's comments.

I had been using Hollister two piece appliances: New Image 15103 Skin Barrier with 18103 Drainable Pouches. These work pretty well, and fit my iieostomy fairly well, but since I had a not too large peristomal hernia, I tended to feel a pull on my skin as the pouch filled.

Looking around, I found a Coloplast product that works great for me - their SenSura Mio Convex Flip base plates, which are somewhat dome shaped to fit. The come in four sizes - small, medium, large and extra large. I measured my hernia and wrote asking for samples. A phone conversation resulted in two samples each of medium and large and transparent filter pouches with appropriate flange sizes. The large works great for me. This setup eliminates the tug or pull on my skin as the bag fills as the forces a spread over the entire hernia. There are two problems with the filter pouches: the filter seems to allow the bag to completely collapse and the filter design involves about six layers of bag including a ring of a pre-filter with a layer of foam making the bag pretty stiff. The filter bags are really over engineered! There are covers provided for the filter, but burping these bags is tough with the mechanical flange system. The solution is to get the filter-less bags and use Osto Eazy Vents. I give this setup an A+.

I still have some of the Hollister appliances around and will occasionally use one. The way they get around a hernia is that the back plates are very flexible and will shape to the hernia. The other advantage of them is that the base plates are thin and easily stored and carried for travel. The Coloplast Flips take up a lot of room in their fairly large box 7.25" x 7.25" x 3.25" - with its shaped container. Coloplast wants the flips stored in their box horizontally. I'd give the Hollister setup an A-.

Hi. I’m back. Edgepark resent me 5 new boxes a month ago for the “batch” of boxes that were bad. I’ve been fine because I’ve just been using some back stock that I’ve had... until yesterday. I opened a new box, one of the boxes that was replaced and... leaked! Ok, not using that box. Opened another box this morning, I’m out and about and we’ve got another leak. I’M done. Please tell me the products you have been using and if you think any bags (not Cymed) would work with the cymed wafer? i have liked their wafers and bags because of their low profile. I can wear them with a swimsuit (heavily patterned for camouflage) or leggings and you can’t tell that I have a bag. This is really my most important criteria. Any help or input is appreciated. 🙏🏽

@sunstarmom I just posted. I’m so sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I tried multiple times to contact Cymed to no avail. I then contacted edgepark (my distributor) and they had no questions, didn’t need the bags returned and just replaced the bags. BUT... just started on those bags and here we are, same situation. I’m offIcially done. 😢 I truly do not have the bandwidth right now to deal with this, but I have no choice. 😡

@momof3boys That's such a shame to hear. I'm sorry you've continued to have poor experiences with those bags. 

By chance, would going to a one-piece help you? Since the wafer is fine I'm assuming the leaks are between the pouch and wafer? If so, a one-piece might solve that problem at least.